PROFILE PROFILES | Page 39

TOP MARITIME WOMEN IN NIGERIA Funmi Folorunsho Hitherto, African ship owners had not been investing in ships as they had been complaining of the policies under which they had been operating. With Ms. Folorunsho's advocacies, African governments have started developing favourable policies to aid the growth of the maritime industry. To Funmi Africa has not been attractive for ship owners because policies have made investment in ships too costly and cumbersome. Hence she has been organizing conferences of African ship owners and gover nments aimed at evolving favourable policies and regulations for Africa's shipping sector. As she maintains, “Policies and laws have made it difficult to acquire vessels. Financing has also been a problem for the investors.” Hence, Funmi Folorunsho has been working in partnership with the maritime industry regulators to get full benefits of the industry so as to create wealth and employment in Africa. M rs. Funmi Folorunsho is a maritime consultant and the Secretar y-General of Afr ican Ship-owners Association. She was the pioneer Director- Funmi Folorunsho as the General of Indigenous Shipowners Association of Secretary-General of African Nigeria (ISAN). She was also the pioneer Executive Secretary of NIMAREX (Nigeria Maritime Expo) that Ship-owners Association has has been showcasing the maritime potentials of started impacting positively on ship Nigeria's maritime sector as well as a former ownership in Africa, as African ship President of WISTA, Nigeria. owners have started investing in ships as a result of the introduction Funmi Folorunsho as the Secretary-General of African Ship-owners Association has started of favourable policies and impacting positively on ship ownership in Africa, as regulations that govern the African ship owners have started investing in ships as a maritime sector. result of the introduction of favourable policies and regulations that govern the maritime sector. Ships & Ports | 73